New blood: Every birth brings lifesaving potential

October 20, 2008

Some physicians call it liquid gold, but too few patients are familiar with the value of blood that is contained in the umbilical cord and placenta of newborns.

The Dan Berger Cord Blood Program at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC aims to educate new mothers in an effort to boost the supply of cord blood for lifesaving treatments. The program was established a year ago, named in honor of a local attorney who benefited from a stem cell transplant to treat lymphoma before his 2006 death. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)